Pre-poll rigging: ECP, others issued notice on plea

JI’s candidate alleges that parts of NA-252 have become no-go areas.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court issued notice to the election commission, the returning officer and others on Wednesday on the plea of Jamaat-e-Islami’s candidate against alleged pre-poll rigging during the elections in Karachi.

Zahid Saeed, a candidate contesting for the National Assembly seat from Karachi’s NA-251 constituency, had taken the election commission, the concerned district returning officer and others to court for allegedly failing to stop the attempts to rig the polls.

Yaseen Azad, his lawyer, told the judges that parts of the petitioner’s constituency had become no-go areas. The officials are supporting a particular political party, which is illegal and a violation of the election laws and constitutional provisions, he alleged.



Saeed had filed a complaint with the election commission to take notice of the state of affairs, but so far nothing has been done. The lawyer said the concerned returning officer had requested for the deployment of army troops in the area to ensure transparent elections but no steps were taken in this regard.

The lawyer argued that free and fair elections could not be held as another party was active in pre-poll rigging. He asked the court to order the election commission to ask the executive authority for army deployment in the constituency. Headed by Chief Justice Mushir Alam, the bench after preliminary hearing, issued notice to the ECP, the RO and others for May 9.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2013.